Flip video camera? anyone have one or something else?

[brewmaster15]

Hey,
Anyone here have a Flip Video camera... like this one,,,,

http://www.theflip.com/en-us/Products/ultra.aspx?gclid=CN3IlvLy0qQCFd9n5QodIC87KA

any good for aquarium videos?

-al

ps...if not...what do you use and how do you like it?

[Wahter]

Al, I have a non-HD flip. The videos are okay, BUT since it doesn't have any "anti-shake" technology built into it, the videos show any movement you make. Just watch some of the shaky videos on youtube - gives me a headache! There is software that can be used to clean up the shake, but that is just an extra step that I would like to avoid. Also, the non-HD flip doesn't have any real zoom ability either. Not sure if the HD version has improved and included these functions.

I've been using the Canon HV30 Hi-Def video camcorder. There's a newer flavor out there now (HV40), but mine still works fine for me. It uses DV cassette tapes (which make it convenient to change the media without needing to download your videos to a PC/ harddrive when you're on the road in the middle of no where). It's anti-shake also works fine for me. It's rather slow to shoot stills though (when I was on a tour bus, it could not autofocus quickly enough to take stills of roadside buildings off a highway) - for that I still prefer my digital SLR - Canon EOS 20D. If you have something that's not moving much, you can take decent stills with the HV30. Under dim light, the video can look grainy though.

One thing to note is to check whether or not your video editing software will work with the video formats that the video camcorders output. Most of the newer video camcorders (with flash built in flash memory for video storage) will output in AVCHD, but some of the older video editing software won't accept that and only support HDV. Also in my experience, when I used an older Sony camcorder (it had a very nice night vision mode that the Canon does not have - very handy when visiting things like Singapore's Night Safari), the video quality came through a lot cleaner via Firewire 1394 than connecting via USB cable. (the Canon doesn't support USB for video transfer). Also, the Canon doesn't include any video editing software - I have been using Ulead's (now owned by Corel) Videostudio. I have Adobe Premiere, but haven't had time to sit down to learn it.

Since it's HD, the Canon HV30 outputs to TVs via component or HDMI. No S-Video support though.

Videos shot from my Canon (original is in Hi-Def):

Carnivorous plants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC-fjWMmRDw

Spotted discus at Wayne Ng's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QeklJnSCio

Video shot from the Sony (digital but not Hi-Def):

2007 Aquarama Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfxMrB3cIr0


Hope that helps.


Walter


Hey,
Anyone here have a Flip Video camera... like this one,,,,

http://www.theflip.com/en-us/Products/ultra.aspx?gclid=CN3IlvLy0qQCFd9n5QodIC87KA

any good for aquarium videos?

-al

ps...if not...what do you use and how do you like it?

[terps]

Three of the most popular high end consumer camcorders are:

Panasonic HDC-TM700
Canon HF S21
Sony HDR-CX550V

I would go with the Sony for aquarium videos since it has the best low light performance of those 3. It's stabilization feature is great too.

Here's a good camcorder forum to see what users think.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=161&order=desc

You can see reviews and tests of these camcorders on youtube. Remember to view them in high def.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=panasonic+hdc-tm700&aq=f

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=canon+hf+s21&aq=0

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Sony+HDR-CX550V&aq=f

I liked this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSRlqpOuYB8

Anyway, you'll need a fast PC (i5 or i7 processor) with a huge hard drive(better to have 2 drives - editing software on 1 drive / data on the other drive) and a fast video card to do your editing. And you'll probably need new video editing software.

I'd also get a camcorder with a flash drive. Hard drives have tendency to fail quicker than flash drives because of the moving parts. Also hard drives drain the battery much quicker.

[terps]

I looked at some of the flip videos on youtube. They can be very shaky. I get a headache watching them just like Walter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X4i6XN2xVM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUv7Uji6PZ4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBwWynul_R4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO0hDh8rZkg&feature=related

You almost get motion sickness from watching them too long.

[calihawker]

I have a super cheap HD flip that was used for all my contest videos. I didn't think it was all that great but then like I said. Cheap!